Earth Hour Tonight — Turn Off Your Lights!

You can cozy up on yet another rainy night tonight by participating in “Earth Hour” — a worldwide event in which people turn off their lights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm (local time) to save energy, unite against global warming, and — this year — stand in solidarity with the people of Japan.

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, the event started in Australia in 2007, when some 2 million people (and 20,000 businesses) turned off their lights to take a stand against climate change. In 2008, the event went global, attracting some 50 million people and inspiring the managers of such iconic landmarks as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the CN Tower in Toronto, and Rome’s Colosseum to turn off their lights.

Last year, 128 countries and territories participated; Mt. Rushmore, the Las Vegas Strip, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and even the Empire State Building all turned off their lights. This year, 134 countries on every continent are expected to be involved and at least one television station — ABS-CBN in the Philippines — pledged to cease transmission. And check out the YouTube logo today — if you click the light bulb, your screen darkens.

In other words, this is a big deal.

In some countries, people also are dedicating a minute of silence this year to the tragedy in Japan.

You can learn more about the general event here. (The event has already started in some parts of the world.) And if you’re going to participate — or you’re tuning in from another part of the world and you already did participate — write a note in the comment section and let us know why you want to be involved in this global event.